Sakshi Maharaj Wants Muslims Also to be Cremated to 'Save' Land

A week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's graveyard-cremation ground remark sparked a row, firebrand BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj on Tuesday said there should be no graveyard at all in the country and all should be cremated.

File photo of BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj.

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Meerut: A week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's graveyard-cremation ground remark sparked a row, firebrand BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj on Tuesday said there should be no graveyard at all in the country and all should be cremated.

The BJP MP from Unnao said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a crematorium should be constructed next to a graveyard. But graveyards should not be constructed at all. If this happens, all land in the country will be used for this purpose and no space will be left for practising agriculture... There will be no fields."

Maharaj, who is known for his off-the-cuff, occasionally controversial remarks, claimed, "There is no tradition of constructing graveyards in Islamic countries across the world. The bodies are cremated in these countries. There are about 3.5 crore Hindu saints in India. They follow the tradition of burying the dead.

"So, I want to appeal to the Prime Minister that there should be only one cremation ground which should lead to 'jannat' or 'moksh dwaar'."

The BJP leader said a new law with "no room for graveyards should be enacted. There should be a joint crematorium for all. And if there is one, the outcome will be positive".